mcmurray



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. K. MQMURRAY. 1

BICYCLE.

No. 351,118. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

WITNESSES INVENTOR fi/JWZZQ vm m M V W BY 1 2 ATTORNEYS;

(No Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. K. MOMURRAY.

BICYCLE. No. 351,118. P81811188 001. 19, 1886.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

ilnrrn ALBERT K.

MOMURRAY, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK.

BICYCLE.

QPECIFICATION forming par. of Letters Patent No. 351,118, dated October 19, 1886.

Application filed July 15, 1886. Serial No. 208,116. (Xomodcl) I T to whom, it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, ALnnn'r K. llIChIURRAY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and the State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Bicycle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to the construction of an improved form of bicycle, wherein the main driving-wheel is mounted in a peculiar and novel manner, and arranged to be driven at an accelerated rate of speed by treadles that are arranged in a novel manner, and are con nected to the cross-bar of the machine by elastic or spring bands, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved form of bicycle. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the construction of the accelerating driving-gear.

In constructing such a machine as the one illustrated in the drawings, above referred to, a wheel, 10, is supported by a central sleeve, 11, which constitutes the hub of the wheel, and which is formed with circular toothed flanges 12, as best shown in Fig. 2. lVithin the sleeve 11 I arrange a crank-shaft, 13, to which the downwardly-extending arms 14 of the fork 15 are connected. The shaft 13 carries two large gears, 16, said gears being arranged within the arms of the fork 15. Just above the gears 16 I arrange small gears 17, that are made integral with or rigidly connected to large gears 18, the two pairs of gears 17 and 18 being studded to the inner faces of the arms 14 in a position so that the small gears 17 will be engaged by the gears 16 of the crank-shaft 18, while the large gears 18 will engage the small gears 12 of the sleeve or hub 11, the gears 17 and 12 being of the same size, while the gears 16 and 18 are of the same size.

The shaft 13 carries two ratchet-wheels, 19, said ratchetwheels being rigidly connected to the shaft at points outside of the arms 14, and upon the extreme ends of the shaft there are loosely mounted treadles 20, which carry pawls 2, that are held in engagement with the ratchets 19 by any proper form of spring. The treadles 20 are connected with the crossbar 30, which is connected in the usual manner with the post of the machine by elastic or spring strips 22, the lower ends of said springstrips being secured to stirrup-like loops 23, that project upward from the treadles 20.

From the arrangement described it will be seen that as the treadles are forced downward in the direction of the arrows shown in connection therewith in Fig. 3 their pawls 2 will engage with the ratchet 1t), and the driving wheel 10 will be turned forward, but that the instant the pressure upon the treadles is re laxed the strips 22 will act to return the treadles, so that they may be again pressed downward, and in practice I prefer that the two treadles should be so arranged that while one is elevated the other will be depressed, and both treadles will not continually follow the motion of the shaft. The necessary motion to drive the machine will be substantially that required to drive a bicycle wherein the treadle-cranks are rigidly connected to the driving-shafts.

From the construction described it will be seen that as the shaft 13 is revolved the motion imparted to the sleeve 11, which acts as a support for the wheel, will be highly accelerated, so that the speed at which the bicycle will be driven will be much greater than would be possible where the ordinary form of rigid crank is employed.

Owing to the very high rate of speed at which the bicycle described may be driven, I have found that the ordinary form of brake that is applied to the driving-wheel 10 cannot be used with advantage upon my form of bicycle, for unless the brake-be most carefully applied there is great danger of too quickly checking the rotation of the wheel 10, in which case the rider would be liable to take a header, and in order that this danger may be avoided I have applied thebrake to the small wheel 40. This brake consists, essentially, of a brakeshoe, 4, pivotally connected between the arms of the fork at the lower end of the backbone 41, the shoe being of the ordinary form usually cmployed in connection with the driving wheel 10. The lever-arm 5 of the shoe 4 is connected, by means of a cord, chain, or wire, 6, with the brake-operating lever '7, and this lever 7 is pivotally connected to the cross-bar 30, so that when thrown in the direction of the arrow shown in connection therewith in Fig. 2 the arm 5 of the brake-shoe 4 will be 5 elevated, and the brake-shoe will be thrown down upon the peripheral face of the Wheel 40. The wire or chain 6 is guided ineyes 8, that are secured to the backbone 41.

Having thus described my invention,what I 10 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi In a bicycle, the combination, with the sleeve 11, which constitutes the hub of the main wheel of the machine, and is formed 15 with toothed flanges 12, of a shaft, 13, carrying, wheels 16 and ratchet-wheels l9, treadles 20, loosely mounted upon the shaft, pawls 2, carried by the treadles and arranged to engage with the ratchet-wheels, elastic bands leading from the treadles to the cross-bar of 20 the machine, and gears 17 and 18, studded to the inner faces of the arms of the main fork of the machine, the gears 17 and 18 being arranged to intermesh with gears 16 and 12, substantially as described.

ALBERT K. MCMURRAY.

Witnesses:

EDWARD KENT, J r., O. SEDGWICK. 

